


Limited Texting Plan

by midnight5776



Series: Love Me, Love Me Not Verse [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Muggle, American Football, F/M, Hansy - Freeform, Texting, background dramione, high school parties, meet the parents, the dramione will have its own fic tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 21:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight5776/pseuds/midnight5776
Summary: Harry hated her, he’d hated her for years by this point. She was the definition of snobby and rich, always dressed up in her designer jeans and flashy shoes. She was rude and pretentious and a bitch.She was also really, really pretty.Fuck.





	Limited Texting Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to my friend Teirney! Shout out to Derek and Seb for editing my shit, per usual.

Harry hated her, he’d hated her for years by this point. She was the definition of snobby and rich, always dressed up in her designer jeans and flashy shoes. She was rude and pretentious and a bitch.

She was also really, really pretty.

Fuck.

\--

“Ready to lose this Friday, Potter?” Draco drawled as he walked into the local diner—The Three Broomsticks. He was followed in by his usual posy of teens with too much money for their own god.

Seated at his usual booth with Ron and Hermione, Harry didn’t even stand to acknowledge the blond in a Ralph Lauren polo. “Seeing as your team has been having one hell of a season, I don’t see us losing anytime soon,” Harry called back across the diner. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled a book from her bag. These fights were always the same.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Potter.” Draco had made it over to their table now and looked down his nose at Harry. “Flint was sick, but he’s back in now. Your poor little team doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Oh, but the team your daddy bought you a spot on does?” He let out a harsh chuckle. “We’ll see, Malfoy.” Harry stood, purposely stepping into Draco’s personal space.

“What, are you going to let Ron play kicker again?” Harry was pretty sure the boy who had spoken was named Blaise, but he didn’t know many people besides the football team over at Slytherin High.

“Didn’t he miss both kicks last game?” Crabbe asked.

“Maybe if his parents could afford some better cleats, he’d have a chance,” taunted Pansy. Pansy Parkinson, the girl Harry hated with his whole existence. It was common for the football players to bully each other, but Gryffindor and Slytherin had been rival high schools since they were built. The fighting and hatred came as part of being on the team. Pansy, though, wasn’t on the football team. Shit, Harry wasn’t even sure she did anything besides paint her nails and look pretty by Draco’s side.

Yet here she was, adding fuel to the flames.

“I have fine cleats!” Ron shouted as he abruptly stood as well. Hermione let out a heavy sigh and prepared herself.

“The quality of a player’s cleats do not determine his talent. We’re going to kick your asses on Friday.” Right when Harry considered shoving Draco, Hermione cleared her throat. The group of riled up teens looked at her, a mixture of confusion and anger at the interruption, to see her nodding in the direction of the counter. Miss Rosmerta, the woman that ran the diner, was leaving the counter, heading for them. They all scattered.

“They’ll see,” Harry murmured as he sank back into the old, vinyl seat.

\--

Both high schools were close to each other, but represented two very different populations. Gryffindor’s district boundaries had most of the low income students attending the school. Some of the neighborhoods weren’t half bad, but their school was overwhelmingly poor. It was a struggle, but they were also proud of their successes.

Then there was Slytherin. Their boundaries contained most of the suburban hell located on the north side of their town. Their students were mostly middle class, save for the sacred Malfoy and his little group. They were all filthy rich and made sure everyone knew.

It resulted in a lot of fist fights.

\--

Friday came and with it was the biggest school rally of the year. The threat of expulsion for any pranks on the rival school kept the team under control to a point, but they ran rampant through the school most of the day. Even the teachers got into the hype as they let students use free time in class to make posters for the game. When nightfall hit, the Gryffindor Lions ran onto the yellowed grass of their field. The game was at home for them this year and they proudly wore their red and gold jerseys. They roared and shouted and hollered as they made their entrance. The band was playing as loud as they could and the air with filled with cheers and boos from the stands. The Slytherin Snakes entered the field as well and the noise got louder. Students from their school all started hissing in unison while the team walked confidentially onto the field.

Only two fights broke out during the match, a new all time low.

\--

They won. A minute into overtime, Ron kicked a field goal and…it made it. The crowd roared—literally—and the entire team ran at Ron. In no time, he was on their shoulders and they paraded him around until they made it back in the locker room.

On the way there, Harry watched Pansy stand by Draco’s side as she held his water bottle. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, but when she looked his way, he winked. Her nostrils flared and he laughed as he walked away.

\--

There was only one guaranteed situation where Slytherins and Gryffindors would be in the same building and that was wherever a party was being held. After the incident at Jordan’s three years ago, a truce was put into place. There would be no fights in someone’s home.

That’s where he saw her next.

\--

Harry wasn’t sure who’s house he was in, but he knew the place couldn’t hold many more people. The living room was packed with bodies dancing, the front yard was already littered with cans and red cups, and the pool in the back was currently hosting a diving contest. Per usual, Hermione was DD which meant Harry had a red cup filled with some brown liquor in his hand.

She was leaned against a counter in the kitchen, the calmest area by far. Pansy’s short hair looked messy, but like she purposely did so. Her jeans were tight and her shirt revealed her entire stomach. She saw Harry looking her over and caught his eye, raising a thin eyebrow at him.

He took a drink from his cup and pushed through the smaller crowd to get to her. “What’s it feel like to be on the losing side again?” Harry asked.

“I honestly don’t care,” she admitted with a roll of her eyes. She nursed her bottle of some pink liquid. “I don’t really care about anything that causes boys to roll around in the mud together.”

At that, Harry laughed. “That’s a different way of putting it.” She cracked a bit of a smile. “So, where’s your little pack? Aren’t you always hanging on Draco’s arm?” he teased her. He really didn’t know how else to interact with her and he was getting rather tired of the play-by-play retelling of the game in the dining room. Pansy didn’t respond. She looked over Harry’s shoulder and he followed her gaze after a moment of silence. There was Draco Malfoy following Hermione around, pestering her. He currently had one of her curls wrapped around his finger as she was scolding him.

“Ah,” he said, turning to face her again. “Boyfriend a bit busy right now?”

“It’s not funny, Potter. It’s rude to bring a girl somewhere as your date and promptly leave her.” Pansy sneered. “I didn’t even want to come here even. I hate being around this much noise.”

He watched her for a long moment. He wasn’t sure what pushed him to make such a decision, whether it be the three previous cups of mostly whiskey or the sad look in her eyes, but he downed the rest of his cup. With his other hand, he took her free one. “Then let’s get away from all of this noise?” he offered.

Pansy looked at Harry for a long moment. Then she downed the rest of her pretty drink as well ad let him guide her upstairs, red lipstick on the bottle she left in her wake.

\--

For half an hour, all they did was make out. He was surprisingly gentle with her; she had expected it to be rough and messy like most other teenage boys. This was…really nice.

They laid on some stranger’s bed, both of their shirts discards on the floor. Her purposely messy hair was even messier and his always wild hair was even wilder. Harry lightly ran his fingers over her pretty, tanned skin. Instead of getting up and leaving when she asked to stop, they just stayed in the quiet of the room, the bass only audible through the walls.

“He’s not my boyfriend, you know,” she spoke up after a comfortable silence. “We tried for a bit freshman year, but it didn’t work out. It felt like I was kissing my brother…what I imagine kissing my brother would be like.” Pansy closed her eyes and a small smile shaped her lips. Harry was used to seeing anger or distaste behind her expressions, but this one was much lighter.

“I would imagine that’d be unpleasant,” he agreed. He didn’t count Dudley as a brother, but if he did, he most definitely would not want to kiss him.

“We’re best friends. Our parents want us to get married—‘it’ll be great for business’ they say. All the time we spend together pleases them and we go to a lot of their functions together. It gets them to leave us alone.” She rolled onto her side and looked at Harry. Pansy was use to the sight of boys in good shape—her best friend was on a football team too—but she let her gaze run over his chest. He wasn’t bad on the eyes.

“Being forced to date a ferret must be boring,” Harry said, trying to make light of the shitty situation.

“He’s not a ferret!” She smacked his chest a little too hard, leaving a little red hand print on his dark skin.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “I’ll leave it alone.”

“Harry!” His name was muffled through the door, but he knew Hermione was looking to leave.

“That’s my que to leave,” he signed. His eyes lingered on her, taking one more long look. “This was cool.”

“Wait,” she murmured. She reached into his front pants pocket and pulled out his shitty old flip phone. She only stared at it for a moment. After some typing, she handed it back to him. “Text me some time.”

Harry smiled and got out of bed, his name still being called. He pulled on his shirt and handed Pansy hers before leaving, making a point to wink on his way out.

\--

(1:26 am) **Hope you got home safe**

(2:04 am) _I did. Hope Hermione didnt chew u alive for kissing a snake_

(8:52 am) **I dont kiss and tell**

(8:53 am) **Also Hermione really doesnt care about the school rivalry**

\--

Harry didn’t hear much from Pansy in the previous two weeks, but he didn’t really start conversations either. He had limited texts on his phone plan—he was lucky to have one—and was very careful about how many messages he sent. Last time he went over, he went an entire weekend without food.

\--

(4:19 pm) **U going to the party at Johnsons 2nite?**

(4:25 pm) _Oh u mean me? The girl u made out with and nvr messaged again?_

(4:27 pm) **I have a limited texting plan. Thought itd b weird if i called**

(4:34 pm) _Oh. Yea, im going tonight. R u?_

(4:36 pm) **Yup. Ill be the boy with the hair that cant stay down.**

(:41 pm) _Cool. Ill be the girl on the arm of Malfoy_

(5:01 pm) **Wanna be the girl on my arm?**

(5:05 pm) _Thought ud nvr ask_

\--

Per usual, Harry was staying at the Weasley’s home. He spent most of his weekends with them. The Dursleys preferred when he wasn’t home and Ron’s family was more like family to him anyways. Friday evening, Ron and Harry climbed out of the old window found above Ron’s bed. His house was old and in need of a paint job, but that didn’t matter to Harry. The Dursley’s nice house was the real hell, not a neighborhood of old homes and petty crime.

Out on the street was Hermione parked in her mom’s mini cooper. Hermione had always been independent. Her parents let her come and go as she pleased, but that was mostly because their daughter acted like an adult. That and they tended to be busy a lot with dental conferences, which were apparently common.

“Hey,” Harry greeted her as he slid into the back seat. Ron had eternal shotgun apparently.

“Let’s get going,” Hermione said with a smile. As the years went by, she was increasingly more willing to break rules. That night had been her idea.

“I can DD tonight if you want, ‘Mione,” Harry offered. “I know you won’t get wasted or anything, but you have the right to a turn drinking sometime.”

Hermione just hummed in response.

\--

When they got to the party, Ron was promptly dragged off by a girl named Lavender Brown, whose face was caked with cheap foundation.

“Yeah, you can be DD tonight,” Hermione mumbled. “I’m going to go get a drink or seven.”

Harry watched her disappear into the crowd sadly. Ron was honestly an idiot.

\--

It was around midnight he saw her arrive. Pansy entered the crowded house on Draco’s arm, laughing with her head thrown back. Around her neck was a thin velvet choker. She looked stunning some sort of contraption that was a combination of a sleeveless shirt and shorts, but they were connected? He had seen Ginny in one like it and she might’ve called it a ‘romper’. He didn’t really keep up with fashion well. All he knew that it was short and white and her legs looked great in it, complimented by her heels.

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen until he caught her attention. She gave him a flirtatious smile and accepted a drink offered to her by one of Draco’s minions. Holding the cups up slightly as if it was a cheer for him, she winked and then downed a large portion of whatever was in it. A drip of red liquid ran slowly down her neck.

_Fuck._

\--

Half an hour later, he caught her during a break in dancing. Sliding in by her side, he grabbed her hand and started guiding her down the hall, hesitantly at first. When she excitedly allowed herself to be guided away, Harry began to smile. He brought her into the first room he could get her to, which happened to be a small bathroom. Pulling her in, he closed the door and pressed her against it.

“You look amazing,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes. They were a nice, simple shade of hazel. Possibly the only thing simple about the girl.

“I see you’ve stuck with the ‘old shirt and ripped jeans’ aesthetic,” Pansy teased. “It suits you.”

With a roll of her eyes, Pansy leaned forward and kissed Harry first. She tasted like too sweet liquor and fruit punch and strawberries. He could feel her bright lipstick staining his skin and he really didn’t care. Harry ran his fingers through her short hair, yanking gently. A quiet moan left her mouth and he swallowed hard.

Time passed, but he did nothing more than kiss her. When her hands moved to pull down her romper thing, he carefully took her hands to stop her.

“Pansy, you’re really drunk and I’m very sober,” he told her. “I think clothes should stay on tonight.”

She huffed and stomped her foot. He raised an eyebrow in amusement. “How about this,” he offered. “Be my date to the party at Warrington’s next week?”

There was a long silence and he watched Pansy think. “Alright,” she agreed slowly, “but no being an ass to my friends. It’s already going to be hard enough showing up with a Gryffindor.”

“I can do that,” he conceded.

“Perfect,” she purred.

“Does this mean it won’t be awkward if I call you now?”

“You should give it a shot and find out.”

\--

Harry called her Monday night. Then he called again Tuesday and Wednesday. She called Thursday. She once fell asleep on the phone with him; she’s a snorer. He had to mute his end a few times when Vernon yelled, but he would go take night walks as they talked. He listened to her discuss fashion and how stupid some of the kids where in her classes. Harry updated her about his football practices, how he did on his advanced algebra exam (not too well), and about how the setting sun reminded her of him. Sometimes when he said really nice things, the line would become quiet for long periods of time until he changed the subject. He didn’t mind that she didn’t always know what to say. He wasn’t too good with words himself.

\--

Friday came and she picked him up outside of Ron’s house. Ron had messed up his knee at practice and was taking the night to rest. Hermione was excited to have an excuse to stay in as well.

When he got in the car, she didn’t drive for a moment. “What is it?” he asked.

“This is where you live?” she asked. Her tone wavered like she was trying to find a way not to sound surprised.

“Nah, this is Ron’s house.” He shrugged. Sure, the paint was peeling and some of the roof tiles had fallen off, but the inside walls were covered up so much, you couldn’t even tell.

“Why am I getting you from Ron’s?” She couldn’t stop looking at the old house.

“Oh, I, umm,” he paused. Harry hadn’t fully told her about his situation. He had only mentioned that he lived with his aunt and uncle. “It’s just easier to stay at Ron’s.”

“But doesn’t he have like three other siblings living with him? That obviously can’t be the easiest—“

“Please, Pansy, just drop it,” he asked. He didn’t want to spend their first “real” date talking about the Dursleys.

“Sure, whatever,” she muttered and they drove off.

\--

He wouldn’t call their first date a disaster, but it was rocky. Harry held Pansy’s hand for the first time as they walked up to Warrington’s big house which was already alive with the party. They walked in, together, and a few people stopped and stared. Most were too busy dancing to pay attention to the new comers, but throughout the night people would stare at them for a moment to see if it was true. People wanted to see if Harry Potter, the Gryffindor’s Chosen Player, and Pansy the Snake Bitch were really together.

“We must be looking extra hot tonight,” Pansy laughed. “Everyone can’t seem to keep their eyes off of us.”

“What is it about high schoolers and their deathly appeal to drama?” he asked as he opened her a new water bottle. Since she was driving and couldn’t drink, he decided not to either.

“Their lives are just boring, that’s all.” She raised a well-manicured eyebrow at him. “Want to give them some more drama?” Pansy took his hand and slowly led him out to the dance floor, giving him enough time to say no. He didn’t.

They danced together in front of everyone. While Harry was okay at dancing, Pansy was into it. She held herself close to him and guided him, her body almost always pressed against him. It was taking all his willpower to keep himself calm, but it was hard when a hot girl was grinding against him.

After a few too many songs, he took her hand and led them off the dance floor. “Let’s go upstairs,” he suggested, out of breath. Her eyes lit up and she climbed up the stairs first. It took him a moment to move, nerves suddenly hitting.

“Come on, Potter,” she called down to him and he followed.

\--

Harry had only ever slept with one girl and it was Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister. They had had a fling all during summer and eventually lost their virginities together. While they had slept together a lot during summer, when school started they decided they were better off as friends. It was a good idea because Ginny was always busy with soccer and, the biggest reason, she really liked girls. She liked girls a lot. It just wasn’t meant to be.

With his limited experience, he was nervous as he laid next to a mostly undressed Pansy Parkinson in only his boxers.

“We don’t have to if you don’t—“

“No, I do,” Harry insisted and took a deep breath. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I am. Don’t be so scared. You’ve got to be better than Nott, so there’s nothing to be nervous about,” she stated nonchalantly.

“Nott? Like Theodore Nott?” he asked, baffled.

“Yes, Theodore-very-gay-Nott. We were really drunk and Draco wouldn’t shut up about getting his dick sucked so we just left and, well, things happened.” She laughed. “Helped him figure out he was gay, though.”

Harry laid back down on his back and let himself laugh as well. “My first time was Ginny, Ron’s sister. Helped her figure out the same thing, actually.” Pansy let out a snort of laughter, something that seemed out of character for her. It was cute.

“Well, if we both turn out gay after this, then we know we’ve been gifted with a power.”

“Guess we should find out, shouldn’t we?” With that, he gently rolled on top of her and kissed her.

\--

(3:14 pm) _U kno whats stupid?_

(3:20 pm) **Wat is?**

(3:26 pm) _Draco is. Hes an idiot_

(3:27 pm) **Ive been trying to tell u that. Y?**

(3:29 pm) _He got on my ass about u_

(3:32 pm) **Do I need to beat him up?**

(3:33 pm) _No_

(3:35 pm) _Maybe just a bit?_

\--

(9:07 am) Mate, I heard u r dating Pansy???

(9:09 am) **Not officially yet but thats the plan**

(9:10 am) Wtf r u thinking? R u concussed?

(9:12 am) **Im not concussed and im thinking shes nice**

(9:12 am) **And hot**

(9:13 am) **But really nice too**

(9:16 am) Wtf Harry wtf

(9:28 am) **Sorry mate?**

\--

They talked every night, even if it was only for a few minutes. It was a Wednesday night, two weeks after their first date, that Pansy called much later than normal. Harry answered, woken by the quiet buzzing of his phone.

“Hey, whatsup,” he mumbled, still half asleep. There was crying on the other side of the line.

“I-I’m sorry, I-I d-d-didn’t realize you w-were asleep. I-I can g-go—“

“No, it’s okay babe,” Harry responded. He was woken up completely at the sound of her crying. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“C-Can I come p-pick you up? I j-just d-don’t want t-to be here r-right now.” He could hear her sniffling on the other side of the line.

“Yes, you can. I’ll text you my address. Just, please, don’t drive until you’ve calmed down.”

“I-I’ll try,” she mumbled before hanging up. He sent her his address and started the very difficult process of sneaking out.

\--

Her white beamer pulled up quietly in front of the Dursley’s perfect yard. He got into the passenger seat as quickly as he could. “Come on, I know a place we can go,” he told her.

Harry gave her directions to a little park by the local elementary school. Pansy parked in the empty parking lot and as soon as she turned off the car, she started crying again.

“Babe?” he asked cautiously. He had never been the best with crying girls. They usually were angry when they cried around him, but maybe Ginny and Hermione were unique. Carefully, he unbuckled Pansy’s seatbelt and pulled her close. With his arms wrapped around her she began to calm down. “Do you want to talk about…um…whatever happened?”

Pansy nodded into his chest. After another moment and some deep breaths, she calmed down significantly. She sat back and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry for waking you up,” she mumbled.

“Hey, I’m glad you called me.” He offered her a comforting smile. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“It’s just my parents,” she admitted, sinking down in her seat. “It’s silly really, I know I’m lucky to have the life I live, but they are just so…mean sometimes.”

“Just because you have money doesn’t mean your life is going to be filled with happiness.” He would know. In a bank somewhere, he had an entire inheritance waiting for him, but he couldn’t access it until he was 18. That did nothing to help his current situation with the Dursleys.

She looked at him for a moment, as if she was checking if he was being honest. Her shoulders slumped farther as she relaxed. This was a Pansy Harry had never seen before—not that he had seen a whole lot of her. Most of their interactions were over the phone, but still. She never seemed one to be defeated by anything anyone said.

“You know how I told you my parents want me to marry Draco?” Harry nodded. “It’s because his family runs major corporations. We have a lot of money, yeah, but it’s small compared to the wealth of the Malfoy family. They are as old as old money can get.” She rolled her eyes at the label. “My parents want us to have more wealth attached to our name. Specifically, they want a grandson real quick that can be the heir to my father’s piles of money and business as well as the Malfoy wealth.”

“What the fuck?” Harry asked, startled. “Why can’t you just get their money? You’re 16, why do they already want you to have a child?” His eyes were huge behind his old glasses.

“Oh, that’s because legally the Parkinson companies can only be passed down to men because my family has always been sexist.”

“Can they do that?” He was baffled. Why would someone not want their daughter to have their money?

“Honey, anything’s possible with a good enough lawyer and lots of money.” Pansy let out a sad laugh. “They like to remind me that I’m supposed to be preparing to be a lovely trophy wife. How dare I have interests and hopes for a career? I’m worth more than my fucking smile!” She let out an angry shout and covered her eyes roughly. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

Harry gently set a hand on her back and moved it in slow, calming circles. “It isn’t your fault your parents live in the 1800s. That sounds awful, honestly. I can’t imagine you taking that.” He was surprised she hadn’t ripped them apart. Pansy had always seemed to be the only person in charge of herself.

“They are going to be so mad when they find out I’m dating you,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Harry, they are going to hate you.”

“Well, we have two options then: you can never tell them or you can piss them off and bring me home with you,” he teased. He didn’t expect her to slowly raise her gaze past her hands and at him. “What?”

“What are you doing this Sunday?” There was a dangerous glint to her eyes that told Harry he should be nervous.

“Oh no.”

\--

(10:34 AM) _Make sure to dress nice 2nite_

(10:47 AM) **Uh about that..**

(10:47 AM) **I dont own any nice clothes that actually fit me**

(10:48 AM) **This was an awful idea im sorry**

(11:02 AM) _Come outside rn, we r going shoppin loser_

\--

Leaving the house without the Dursleys yelling was impossible. Vernon demanded to know where Harry was going and what freak friends he was going to be with. When Harry ignored him and left through the front down, Vernon followed in a quick waddle.

“Harry, if you don’t answer me right this second!” he bellowed from the doorway.

Harry sprinted to the passanger side of Pansy’s beamer. “Drive,” he ordered. When the car didn’t move, Pansy stuck staring at the fat, red faced man screaming, Harry snapped to get her attention. “Pansy, we have to drive now, okay?” he said. She nodded and laid down the gas pedal.

“Who was that?” She spoke up once they were out of the neighborhood. “Why was your dad shouting so much?”

“That’s not my dad,” Harry stated firmly. He stared out the window, his body ridged. “He’s my uncle and he was shouting because he’s an ass.”

“Your uncle? Where were your parents? Were you not allowed to leave? Harry, did I get you in trouble?” Pansy pulled her car over to the side of the road and looked at him. Even his body language was closed off.

“My uncle was shouting because I left, but he would’ve shouted if I stayed anyways.” Harry shrugged and didn’t look at her.

“Was he over visiting?” she asked curiously. She couldn’t imagine her uncle visiting just to shout at her.

“No.” He stayed silent for a long moment. “I live with my aunt and uncle. My parents died when I was real young. They were doing some sort of activist work in South America and they were killed.”

“Fuck, why didn’t you tell me before?”

Harry looked at Pansy. “How do you suggest I go about bringing it up? ‘Hey, just wanted to let you know my parents died when I was a baby!’ or, better yet, ‘Just so you know, I live with my horrible aunt and uncle with their spawn of a son! They make Satan seem like good company, but I’m sure you’ll love them!’.” He threw his head back against the headrest.

“I’m sorry about your parents, Harry,” she told him genuinely. He rubbed his face and let out a heavy sigh.

“Thank you, Pans. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” He paused and looked at her, obviously embarrassed. “I don’t have any fancy clothes because they don’t like spending money on me. All of my clothes are hand-me-downs or from thrift shops.” He didn’t mention the ledger they kept of all the money they spent on him so he could pay them back when he turned 18.

“Well, I’m going to fix that,” she stated simply. “A good shopping trip can fix any shitty family problem.”

“Pansy, you really shouldn’t—” He stopped when he noticed her fierce glare. “Alright, let’s go shopping,” he mumbled.

\--

(10:12 PM) _That couldve been much worse_

(10:14 PM) **Ur dad asked me my parents yearly income and when i told him they were dead, he asked if they left me a large sum of money**

(10:15 PM) _lol it really couldve been worse. my mom totally thinks u r cute_

(10:18 PM) **Well thank god ur mom likes me**

(10:18 PM) **Seriously tho thank god. She was polite**

(10:20 PM) _Shes actually the she-devil in hiding_

(10:34 PM) **We have such nice families lmao**

(10:52 PM) **I guess ur asleep. Goodnite xo**

(1:03 AM) **If it helps at all i do have a large inheritance. If they disown u i can support us once i turn 18**

(1:04 AM) **If u still like me or whatever**

(9:01 AM) _Ill still like u and i would without the inheritance too_

(9:02 AM) _That would shut my parents up in the future tho._

\--

They still talked on the phone every night, but now he didn’t mute the phone when Vernon yelled.

\--

When she was free, Pansy started coming to Harry’s football practices. She would tan in the stands or do homework. He didn’t know whether she was trying to support him or torture him, because she was beautiful lounging around. A few of the guys on the team took notice of her and Harry whacked them upside their heads.

After practice one day, he found her in the dirty stands. Pansy was sitting on a folded beach towel, bent over a book cursing away. “Fuck this class and fuck Mr. Snape and fuck the whole damn education system—”

“Hey, babe, are you okay?” Harry asked as he sat next to her. His hair was wet from just showering and he smelled like clean soap instead of mud and sweat.

“No, I’m not!” she groaned and dropped her book dramatically. “I’m going to fail this damn history exam Monday and my parents said if I fail another exam I’m grounded until New Years.” Pansy looked like she was on the verge of angry tears.

Harry thought for a moment before smiling. “I know just the person to help.”

\--

(7:52 PM) **Have i mentioned u r my hero yet mione**

(7:54 PM) _Only a few times, but I can hear it again. Surprisingly, Pansy isn’t actually that bad._

(7:56 PM) **That means a lot tbh. Thx for doing this**

(8:01 PM) _She’s a pretty quick learner; her teacher is just awful. She agreed to let me tutor her twice a week for the rest of the semester._

(8:02 PM) **I will do ur laundry for a month! Im coming over every sunday morning and doing it all**

(8:06 PM) _You really don’t have to, Harry. I like teaching people._

(8:07 PM) **I know how much u hate laundry**

(8:15 PM) _Okay, you’re right. See you Sunday._

\--

When Pansy got her first B on a history exam, she called Harry crying from excitement. No one had ever taken the time to work with her and the faith Hermione had in her had worked wonders.

“Thank you, Harry, I mean it,” she told him through the phone. “Hermione isn’t that bad.”

“You’ve gotta like her,” Harry laughed. “She’s the closest thing I have to a sibling.”

\--

(3:12 PM) **Meet me at The Three Broomsticks, 6 pm**

(3:17 PM) **Who the fuck is this??**

(3:18 PM) **Be there or be square, Potter.**

(3:25 PM) **Is this Malfoy????**

(3:27 PM) **Way to kill the mystery. Thx**

(3:30 PM) **Who the fuck says be square anymore**

(3:31 PM) **Me.**

\--

At 6 pm, Harry sat across from Draco Malfoy in the corner booth of The Three Broomsticks. It was the strangest situation he had been in yet; that was saying a lot since his life was a mess.

“So why am I here?” Harry demanded after a solid minute of Malfoy staring him down, his eyes scrutinizing every detail of him.

“Pansy likes you,” he stated bluntly. Harry blinked, then furrowed his brows.

“Yes…she does…” Harry agreed slowly. “At least I like to think so. But why are you texting me vague meet up details like this is some sort of drug deal.”

“Are you dense?” Malfoy asked, completely baffled. “I’m here because you like Pansy, you idiot. She’s my best friend.” He straightened his shirt and sat up a bit straighter, if possible. “I’m here as her best friend to tell you not to fuck this up, alright Potter?”

It was Harry’s turn to be baffled. “I don’t plan on messing this up,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t. She doesn’t need you creeping around to make sure of that.”

“She told me she’s been spending time with your frizzy haired friend so I figured it was a good plan for us to…hang out.” The last two words were forced out of Malfoy’s mouth.

“Hang out?” Harry laughed. “Why the fuck would I hang out with you?”

“Because it would make Pansy very happy.” Draco looked very serious. “We’re going to hang out, even if it results in us murdering each other. Got it?”

Harry stopped laughing when he realized Draco wasn’t kidding. “What would we even do together?”

Draco smiled.

\--

(8:07 PM) **Draco has seasonal box tickets??? At the pro stadium??**

(8:32 PM) _Yea? His dad owns the damn team_

(8:32 PM) _How did u not kno that?_

(8:35 PM) **I never researched whatever his family owned! Wtf!!**

(8:36 PM) _Plz tell me he didnt rub them in ur face_

(8:37 PM) **No he uhh invited me to the game next friday**

(8:40 PM) _And u r going?_

(8:41 PM) **Yea i figured y not**

(8:44 PM) _< 3 <3 <3 U r amazing Harry_

(8:45 PM) **I just really like football**

\--

The semester ended and so did the school football season. The Gryffindor Lions ended with a better season record than the Slytherin Snakes, but Harry only mentioned it a few times. He and Draco made a point to hang out at least once a week, if not more often. Most of the time it involved them watching sports and debating which teams were the best, but whenever Pansy heard about their time together, she beamed.

She ended the semester with a B+ in history, the highest grade she had gotten since middle school. Hermione had ended up helping her with whatever she needed during their two sessions a week. Pansy was so proud of her report card that she waved it in both Draco and Harry’s face at the diner the evening she got it.

Hermione joined them all at the diner occasionally. Besides Ginny, Pansy was Hermione’s only girl friend. They had started spending time together and even had a sleep over once at Hermione’s. It was a Boy Free night and it scared Harry to death to leave those two alone, but he survived without them plotting against him.

Winter break was hell, though. Pansy and her family spent the entire two weeks abroad at some ski slopes in Sweden. That meant no contact at all. She visited the night before leaving and cried for half an hour before driving away. Harry spent the break training for the upcoming track season or spending time with his friends. It was strange how clingy Malfoy got when Pansy wasn’t around. He tried his best to push him off onto Hermione.

\--

Harry spent spring working at the diner, going to track practices, and following Pansy around. She was the light in his darkness. It pained him to be away from her, not that he told anyone but her. She showed to all his track meets with Hermione and Malfoy. Ron and Ginny were both busy with soccer season at its peak, but they were there when they could be. Ginny ended up strangely getting along with Malfoy in a competitive manner, but Ron wouldn’t sit near the boy. Some things never changed.

\--

When summer came, they did anything to keep out of their houses. They took a road trip with Hermione, Draco, Theo, and Ron up to Canada and back. Hermione offered up her parents’ mini van as vehicle of choice for the trip. It resulted in one fist fight between Ron and Draco, lots of sneaky sex for Pansy and Harry, and several drunken fire-side talks at one am.

One night, under the stars, Harry rolled over and looked at Pansy in their little tent. They had their own tent while the other four stayed in Malfoy’s mansion of a tent. “Pans, what are we going to do after we graduate?” he asked quietly.

Pansy yawned and removed her sleeping mask. “Go to college, I presume,” she told him.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Harry sighed. He felt the dread of the impending future settling in his stomach.

Sitting up, Pansy looked at him very seriously. “You are going to get a football scholarship,” she told him simply. “You’ll go to that college and pay for your half of our apartment with your inheritance. I’ll apply to wherever you get a scholarship and go there. I think I want to do journalism, but I honestly don’t have a fucking clue. I’ll use my daddy’s money for my half of the apartment. We need one with a lot of closet space. I’ll go to your games and find a tutor for the classes I can’t comprehend. We’ll skype Granger and Draco once a week, wherever they are at, and only come back here for holidays.” When she finished speaking, she laid back down and stretched.

It took a moment for Harry to take everything in. “That’s a…very comprehensive plan,” he told her, eyes still wide.

“I’m a planner, what can I say? It’ll work out. I don’t care about school, so I’m going wherever you go. I have too much stuff for a dorm so we need an apartment, plus we can’t share a dorm because you have a penis. Try and get a scholarship to a school near wherever Draco ends up, please.” Pansy let out a big, but quiet yawn and smiled sleepily at him. “Come here, let’s sleep. I can handle all the planning if you want.”

After a long silence, Harry laid back down and into her open arms. “I like the sound of that,” he admitted. It sounded perfect.

\--

Summer ended and football season started once again. He was the best wide receiver in the county, if not the entire state, and was quickly offered a scholarship to Penn State, only two hours north of their town. They had him sign on long before most students finished applying, leaving him ahead of the curve. Hermione was strongly against him already accepting a deal, but it was perfect for his and Pansy’s plan.

“You shouldn’t plan school around a romantic partner,” Hermione told him one afternoon they spent alone together.

“Well, I am. You would do the same if Malfoy asked you out,” Harry told her, rolling his eyes.

“No, I wouldn’t!” she almost shrieked. She had to clear her throat and take a deep breath. “I would not, Harry. I’ve already applied to all the best schools and I’m really hoping to get accepted into Columbia University. I would never turn that down for a boy.” She let out a slight huff.

\--

(6:43 PM) **BABE**

(6:43 PM) **MALFOY ASKED MIONE OUT**

(6:45 PM) _Fuckin finally. I win the bet btw_

(6:46 PM) **I really thought it was nvr going to happen**

(6:47 PM) _Told u so_

\--

Pansy took her SATs as many times as she could and applied to Penn State as well. She wouldn’t find out until late March if she made it in. Once news of the letters being sent out was released, she raced home every day to check the mail. Nothing came for the first week of the release and it was putting her on edge.

“I’m never going to be accepted,” Pansy cried once they parked outside her house on Thursday evening. Her parents were gone to France or somewhere, so she was taking advantage of the freedom by having him stay with her until they came back. It’s what they did every month or so. Pansy hated staying home alone and Harry hated being at the Dursley’s house. It was perfect.

“Babe, just check the mail, okay? It has to come someday,” he told her. Gently, he rubbed comforting circles on her back. “Here, let me check it and I’ll meet you inside, okay?” She nodded and wiped her tears away. He waited until she made it up into the Parkinson mansion before even checking the mail box.

There were what looked like a few bills, two magazines, and a letter from Penn State. It felt thick. Denial letters where thin, right? Was that what Hermione had said? She had told them so many facts that he wasn’t sure which was which. He couldn’t handle how much Pansy would cry if she got denied. She had been working so hard for the past year and a half. She deserved this.

Harry made his way up to the mansion and found Pansy lounging on an antique velvet armchair. It was ridiculous how much money her family had. He set the rest of the mail on the coffee table and put her letter on her lap. Her head snapped up and she stared at him in shock.

“It’s time, Pans. Open it.” He smiled at her lovingly.

Pansy opened the letter with shaky hands. It took a moment, but eventually she got it open and unfolded the packet of paper.

Her green eyes looked up at him, tears already streaming. He felt his heart drop. It wasn’t supposed to go like this.

And then she smiled. “I got in!”

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on writing a lot of other ships in this same verse. I've already started the Dramione ship. Some will be much longer than this (Dramione) and some will be very short. If you have any rare ships you're dying to see, let me know.


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